Lucent Technologies DEFINITY Enterprise Communications Server Release 8 Guide To ACD Call Centers

							DEFINITY ECS Release 8
Guide to ACD Call Centers  555-233-503  Issue 2
December 1999
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nIntraflow and Interflow
The functionality of intraflow and interflow may be obtained using the check and 
goto Call Vectoring commands.
Calls may intraflow from an ACD split which is not vector-controlled into one that 
is vector-controlled.
nLeave Word Calling
LWC messages cannot be stored, canceled, or retrieved for a VDN.
nNight Service
A VDN can be administered as a night service destination.
Route-to commands that route to destinations with night service activated redirect 
to the night service destinations.
nPriority Calling
A VDN cannot be used with the priority calling access code. Intercept tone is 
supplied to the user. If a route-to number in a vector specifies the priority calling 
access code, vector processing continues at the next step.
nProperty Management System Interface
VDNs cannot be used with the following features and functions: Message Waiting 
Notification, Check-In, Check-Out, Room Status, and Automatic Wakeup.
nRecorded Announcement
The first announcement extension, second announcement extension, first 
announcement delay, second announcement delay, and recurring second 
announcement do not exist for a vector-controlled hunt group.
nRedirection on No Answer
If an ACD split/skill or Direct Agent call is not answered after an administered 
number of rings, RONA can redirect that call to a VDN for alternate treatment.
nRingback Queuing
External call attempts made via rout e-to commands with coverage no are not 
queue via Ringback Queuing when all trunks are busy. External call attempts made 
via route-to commands with coverage yes are.
nSend All Calls
If the destination of a route-to with coverage no command has the Send All Calls 
feature active, calls are not redirected. If there is an idle appearance, the call 
terminates and vector processing stops. If not, vector processing continues at the 
next step.
If the Send All Calls button is pressed after a vector call is terminated, button 
activation is denied.
nTime of Day Routing
Since a route-to number command in a vector can specify the AAR or ARS access 
codes, the TOD routing algorithm can be used to route the call. 
						

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nTimed After Call Work (ACW)
A Timed ACW interval can be assigned to a VDN.
nTimed Reminder
The attendant Timed Reminder is not available for calls placed, transferred, or 
extended to a VDN. Vectoring causes all other timers to be ignored.
nTransfer
Calls can be transferred to a VDN.
nTraveling Class Mark
A TCM is sent when a route-to command dials a seven-digit ETN or 10-digit DDD 
number via AAR/ARS. This TCM is the FRL associated with the VDN COR.
nVDN in a Coverage Path
A call covering to a VDN can be routed to any valid destination by the call 
vectoring command route-to. The coverage option for the route-to digits command 
is disabled for covered calls. In other words, the route-to digits with coverage=y 
functions like the route-to digits with coverage=n command when processing 
covered calls. When the rout e-to command terminates a covered call locally, 
information identifying the principal and the reason for redirection are retained 
with the call. This information can be displayed on display phones or passed to an 
AUDIX or Message Center system.
The class of restriction assigned to a VDN determines the partition group number 
(PGN). The PGN in turn determines the AAR or ARS routing tables used by 
rout e-to commands.
When a call covers to a VDN, VDN override has no effect on the display shown on 
an answering display terminal. This station will show the normal display for a 
covered call. 
						

							DEFINITY ECS Release 8
Guide to ACD Call Centers  555-233-503  Issue 2
December 1999
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CentreVu Advocate
CentreVu Advocate is a collection of features (only available in the Expert Agent 
Selection (EAS) environment) for selecting an agent for a call or selecting a call for an 
agent. These CentreVu Advocate features are:
1.Service Level Supervisor—allows you to select calls from a skill or skills in a 
pre-defined over threshold state.
When one or more of an agent’s skills are in an over threshold state, the agent’s 
normal call handling preference may be ignored. In this situation, calls are selected 
only from the over threshold skills. In addition, an agent can be administered as a 
reserve agent for a skill or group of skills. In this situation, the agent receives calls 
for the skill or group of skills only when the skill or group of skills is in an over 
threshold state.
2. Percent Allocation—compares an agent’s work time in each assigned skill against 
an administered percentage allocation for each assigned skill to determine which 
call to select when an agent becomes available.  
The call selected is the call that minimizes the overall deviation between the 
agent’s work time for all assigned skills and the agent’s administered percentage 
allocations for all assigned skills. 
This feature can be used to provide a fixed level of service for one skill or group of 
skills, relative to other skills.
3. Least Occupied Agent—The Least Occupied Agent feature uses agent occupancy, 
rather than position in an idle agent queue, to determine which agent to select 
when a call arrives. Agent selection through Least Occupied Agent is based on the 
total time an agent has with one or more Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) calls 
ringing, active, or on hold for any of an agent’s assigned skills, and optionally, the 
total ACW time for any of an agent’s assigned skills divided by the total time 
staffed in any assigned skill. Agent AUX time is not included in the calculation of 
agent occupancy.  
Prior to DEFINITY ECS R8, if an agent logged into a skill at the start of a shift or 
after being in the AUX work state, that agent’s occupancy was low. That agent was 
then bombarded with calls while agents already logged in maintained their current 
incoming call level. In DEFINITY ECS R8, agents who log into a skill or return 
from the AUX state are assigned an occupancy similar to existing agents in that 
skill. This enahncement makes call distribution within a skill fairer to all of the 
agents in the skill, rather than favoring agents who have been logged in for a 
longer period of time or who have not been in the AUX state.
This feature can be used to eliminate “hot seat” agents, for example, agents who 
receive more calls because they have more assigned skills relative to other agents.
4. Predicted Wait Time—Prior to CentreVu Advocate only a single measurement, 
Current Wait Time, was used to determine which call to select when an agent 
became available. Now a second measurement, Predicted Wait Time, may be used. 
Predicted Wait Time is defined as Current Wait Time plus Weighted Advance 
Time.   
						

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December 1999
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This feature can be used to provide an improved level of service for a split or skill 
with a smaller number of staffed agents or a longer call handling time relative to 
other splits or skills.
5.Service Objective—The Service Objective feature uses the ratio of either Current 
Wait Time or Predicted Wait Time and the administered acceptable service level.
This feature can be used to provide an improved level of service for a more 
important skill by administering a lower acceptable service level for that skill, 
relative to other skills.
6. Agent Counting—The Logged-in CentreVu Advocate Agent Count feature 
(available with DEFINITY ECS R8) counts the number of CentreVu Advocate 
agents who are logged in at the call center. The feature bases the count on whether 
or not a logged-in agent has any CentreVu Advocate feature(s), except Predicted 
Wait Time, assigned or associated with the agent. With this feature, CentreVu 
Advocate counted agents are still counted as ACD agents.
For example, a call center purchased software capacity for 100 ACD agents and 25 
CentreVu Advocate agents. This call center could have a maximum of 25 CentreVu 
Advocate agents logged in and 75 additional, non-Advocate ACD agents logged in 
at the same time.
7. Reserve Agent Time in Queue Activation—Reserve agents can be optionally 
activated if a call’s time in queue exceeds the administered Service Level 
Supervisor threshold. This means that priority queuing may no longer be required 
to obtain a higher percentage answered within service level target on small volume 
(less than one call per minute) skills.
The Reserve Agent Time in Queue can be activated on the Hunt Group form by 
enabling the Activate on Oldest Call Waiting field.
Reserve agents are dropped off the skill only when both of the following 
conditions are met:
nThe EWT for the skill drops below both administered thresholds,
nThe head call’s time in queue no longer exceeds the Service Level 
Supervisor threshold (oldest call waiting time).
8. Call Selection Override—Within Service Level Supervisor, there is a Call 
Selection Override system-wide parameter. The default setting for this parameter 
is ON (set to Y on the System Parameters form). For more information on 
administering Call Selection Override, see the CentreVu® Advocate User Guide 
(585-210-927).
When call selection override is on, agents will receive calls based on their assigned 
call handling preference as long as the skills are in an under-threshold state. Once a 
standard or reserve skill or skills goes into an over threshold state, agents who 
become available with this skill are diverted from their primary tasks and start 
receiving calls from the skill that is over threshold. This includes top, backup, 
roving, allocated, and reserve agents. All agents who become available ignore their 
normal tasks and help the skill that is in trouble. As soon as a skill goes over 
threshold, all agents who have this skill as standard or reserve are automatically 
reprioritized, giving this skill immediate attention until the skill returns to normal. 
						

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With Call Selection Override off (set to N), agents keep their assigned call 
handling priorities in skill over threshold situations, and reserve agents are added 
to handle the skill after other skills. When the overload threshold is exceeded for a 
skill, standard agents continue with their primary tasks, but will serve a skill to 
which they are assigned as reserve agents if that skill is over threshold and if none 
of their standard skills have calls waiting in queue. 
Prior to DEFINITY ECS R8, Call Selection Override was administered only on a 
call center-wide basis. With DEFINITY ECS R8, Call Selection Override can be 
administred down to the per-skill basis. When CSO is on, agents receive calls 
based on their assigned call handling preference as long as the skills are in an 
under-threshold state. Once a standard or reserve skill/skills goes into an 
over-threshold state, agents with this skill who become available are diverted from 
their primary tasks and start receiving calls from the skill that is over-threshold. 
This enhancement to CSO allows administrators to target the benefits of overriding 
agent skills to specific skills instead of having to apply the override to the entire 
call center.
How to Administer CentreVu Advocate
Table 3-21. Required Forms
Form Field
System-Parameters 
Customer-Options
nCentreVu Advocate
nLogged-In Advocate Agents
Feature-Related 
System-Parameters 
nACW Agents Considered Idle
nCall Selection Measurement
nService Level Supervisor Call Selection 
Override
Hunt GroupnEAD-LOA
nLevel 1 Threshold (sec)
nLevel 2 Threshold (sec)
nService Level Supervisor
nAcceptable Service Level
nActivate on Oldest Call
nUCD-LOA
Agent LoginID 
(Call Handling Preference 
Greatest-Need or Skill-Level)
nService Objective 
						

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Considerations
nAgent Call Handling Preference
A new option, Service Objective, will be added for the existing Greatest Need and 
Skill Level call handling preferences. A new call handling preference, Percent 
Allocation, will be added that selects a call based on minimizing the deviation 
between an agent’s work time for all assigned skills and the administered 
percentage allocations for these skills. A new option, Direct Agent Calls First, will 
be added for the new Percent Allocation call handling preference.
nAgents in Multiple Skills
The CentreVu Advocate features, including Service Level Routing, are designed 
for agents with more than one administered skill.
nAgent Login/Logout
The agents work time measurements will be re-initialized when an agent logs in 
and will be accumulated until the agent logs out.
The count of logged-in CentreVu Advocate agents will be adjusted whenever a 
non-AAS/non-AUDIX agent logs in and out. 
When an agent’s skill set is changed from CMS using either the Change Agent 
Skills or Multi-Agent Skill Change command, the agent is logged in with the new 
skill set and the agent’s work time and occupancy measurements will be 
re-initialized. 
The current value of the logged-in CentreVu Advocate agents count, the number of 
CentreVu Advocate agents that may be logged-in before reaching the administered 
Logged-In CentreVu Advocate Agents limit, and the current value of the 
Logged-In CentreVu Advocate Agents field on the system-parameters 
customer-options form may be displayed using the display capacity command. 
nAgent Work States
Following login, an agent’s state will be changed to AUX for all reserve and 
non-reserve skills. When an agent becomes available, the agent’s state will be 
changed to AVAILABLE, for all non-reserve skills and for all reserve skills that 
are in an over threshold state, or OTHER, for all reserve skills that are not in an 
Agent LoginID 
(Call Handling Preference Percent 
Allocation)
nDirect Agent Calls First
nPercent Allocation
nReserve Level
Reason Code NamesnAffect Agent Occupancy
System Capacity nLogged-In Advocate Agents
Table 3-21. Required Forms
Form Field 
						

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over thresh-old state. When a reserve agent becomes available to receive ACD 
calls for a skill and the skill is not in an over threshold state, the agent’s state will 
be changed to OTHER.
nAlerting Options
All time with one or more ACD calls ringing will be included in the calculation of 
an agent’s work time and occupancy.
nAuto Answer
If station is entered in the Auto Answer field on the agent loginid form, ACD and 
non-ACD calls routed to the agent will ring or be answered automatically based on 
the value entered in the Auto Answer field on the station form. If acd is entered in 
the Auto Answer field on the agent loginid form, ACD calls routed to the agent 
will be answered automatically regardless of the value entered in the Auto Answer 
field on the station form. Non-ACD calls routed to the agent will ring and must be 
answered manually. If all is entered in the Auto Answer field on the agent loginid 
form, ACD calls and non-ACD calls routed to the agent will be answered 
automatically regardless of the value entered in the Auto Answer field on the 
station form. If none is entered in the Auto Answer field on the agent loginid form, 
no calls routed to the agent will be answered automatically regardless of the value 
entered in the Auto Answer field on the station form. All calls routed to the agent 
will ring and must be answered manually.
The values acd, all, and none entered in the Auto Answer field on the agent loginid 
form or the station form have an identical meaning. For example, consider two 
agents and two stations with the first agent logged in at the first station and the 
second agent logged in at the second station. The first agent is administered as 
Auto Answer station and the first station is administered as Auto Answer acd; the 
second agent is administered as Auto Answer acd (the administration of the second 
station does not matter). ACD calls routed to either agent will be answered 
automatically. If the first station and second agent are administered as Auto 
Answer all, all calls routed to either agent will be answered automatically. If the 
first station and second agent are administered as Auto Answer none, no calls 
routed to either agent will be answered automatically.
nCall Coverage
All time with one or more ACD calls ringing is included in the calculation of an 
agent’s work time and occupancy. This includes calls that are later redirected as a 
result of the Call Coverage feature.
nCall Forwarding
All time with one or more ACD calls ringing is included in the calculation of an 
agent’s work time and occupancy. This includes calls that are later redirected as a 
result of the Call Forwarding feature.
nCall Park
After a call is parked by an agent, the call will not affect that agent’s work time or 
occupancy. 
						

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nCall Pickup
All time with one or more ACD calls ringing is included in the calculation of an 
agent’s work time and occupancy. This includes calls that are later redirected as a 
result of the Call Pickup feature.
nConference/Transfer
All time with one or more ACD calls on hold as a result of initiating a conference 
or transfer will be included in the calculation of and agent’s work time and 
occupancy.
nDirect Agent Calls
An agent will receive direct agent calls before any other ACD calls unless the 
agent’s call handling preference is skill-level, a DAC skill is administered, and the 
DAC skill is not one of the agent’s highest priority (i.e., lowest-numbered skill 
level) skills, or the agent’s call handling preference is percent-allocation or 
service-level-routing and the Direct Agent Calls First option is not set. The Service 
Level Supervisor over threshold state has no effect on the selection of direct agent 
calls before other ACD calls.
If the Direct Agent Calls First option is set, an agent will receive direct agent calls 
before any other ACD calls. If the Direct Agent Calls First option is not set, an 
agent will receive direct agent calls only when a call is selected from the Direct 
Agent Skill (or the “top skill” if the Direct Agent Skill is not administered) using 
the Percent Allocation call selection.
A direct agent call to a logged in agent with only reserve skills will be denied and 
intercept tone will be heard.
All time while on a direct agent call will be included in the calculation of an 
agent’s work time and occupancy.
The Service Level Supervisor feature should not be administered for a Direct 
Agent Skill. If a reserve agent is expected to receive direct agent calls, a Direct 
Agent Skill (non-reserve) should be administered for the agent. An agent’s Direct 
Agent Skill should never be administered to allow auto reserving.
nExpected Wait Time
Reserve agents will have no direct effect on the calculation of Weighted Advance 
Time (i.e., Weighted Advance Time will not be adjusted when a reserve agent logs 
in or out or is eligible or not eligible to receive ACD calls).
Expected Wait Time, which is based on both Weighted Advance Time and number 
of calls in queue, will be affected when reserve agents become eligible to receive 
calls, thus reducing the number of calls in queue. Expected Wait Time calculations 
will be less accurate when reserve agents are used (Expected Wait Time will be 
overestimated when re-serve agents are eligible to receive calls and will be 
underestimated when reserve agents are not eligible to receive calls). Expected 
Wait Time may be overestimated when the only agents available for a skill are 
agents that are auto reserved. 
						

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nExpert Agent Distribution (EAD)
The Least Occupied Agent selection method will be available with Expert Agent 
Distribution (EAD).
nMultiple Call Handling
When a reserve agent in an MCH skill becomes available and the skill is in an over 
threshold state, the agent is eligible to receive calls for that skill and all existing 
MCH rules apply. When a reserve agent in an MCH skill becomes available and 
the skill is not in an over threshold state, the agent is not eligible to receive calls for 
that skill regardless of the MCH type.
The administered Multiple Call Handling type for a skill will not be changed if that 
skill is in a level 1 or level 2 over threshold state. The definition of an available 
agent is changed if one or more of an agent’s skills are administered for Multiple 
Call Handling. This may affect when a reserve agent receives an ACD call for a 
Multiple Call Handling skill that is in an over threshold state. All time with one or 
more ACD calls ringing, active, or on hold for two or more skills will be included 
in the calculation of an agent’s work time for only one of the skills (which skill is 
currently indeterminate). This will affect call selection using the Percent 
Allocation feature. This time will also be included in the calculation of an agent’s 
occupancy, but this will not affect agent selection using the Least Occupied Agent 
feature.
nMultiple Priority Queuing
Queue priority will be used in the call selection process with the Service Level 
Supervisor (over threshold skills only), Predicted Wait Time, and Service 
Objective features. Queue priority will not be used in the call selection process 
with the Percent Allocation feature.
nNon-ACD Calls
All time with one or more non-ACD calls ringing, active, or on hold will not be 
included in the calculation of an agent’s work time or occupancy.
nReason Codes
The inclusion or exclusion of time in the AUX work mode, by reason code, is 
ignored in the calculation of an agent’s occupancy across skills and an agent’s 
work time in a single skill. AUX time by reason code can be considered as work 
time, idle time, or the time can be ignored.
1
nRedirect on No Answer (RONA)
All time with one or more ACD calls ringing is included in the calculation of an 
agent’s work time and occupancy. This includes calls that are later redirected as a 
result of the Redirect on No Answer (RONA) feature. A call queued as a result of 
the Redirect on No Answer (RONA) feature may cause a change in the over 
threshold state of a skill (from normal to over level 1 or from over level 1 to over 
level 2). A call, which was queued as a result of the RONA feature, may be routed 
to a reserve agent. Routing a call, which was queued as a result of the RONA 
feature, to an agent, either reserve or non-reserve, may cause a change in the over 
threshold state of a skill (from over level 2 to over level 1 or from over level 1 to 
normal).  
						

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nTimed ACW
The administered Time ACW Interval value for a skill will not be changed, if that 
skill is in a level 1 or level 2 over threshold state. Timed ACW time will be 
included in the calculation of an agent’s work time and occupancy if the “Time in 
ACW Counted as Work Time” option is set.
nUniform Call Distribution (UCD)
The Least Occupied Agent selection method will be available with Uniform Call 
Distribution (UCD).
nVDN of Origin Announcement
All time listening to a VDN of Origin Announcement will be included in the 
calculation of an agent’s work time and occupancy.
Interactions
nAdd/Remove Skill Via FAC
If percent-allocation is entered in the Call Handling Preference field on the agent 
loginid form, the Add and Remove Skill features cannot be used to modify the 
agent’s skill set, including the addition or removal of a reserve skill. If an attempt 
is made to add or remove a skill in this situation, the request will be denied and 
intercept tone will be heard.
nAgent Hold – With and Without Multiple Call Handling
All time with one or more ACD calls on hold, with or without the Multiple Call 
Handling feature activated, will be included in the calculation of an agent’s work 
time and occupancy.
nAgent Login/Logout
The count of logged-in CentreVu Advocate agents will be adjusted whenever a 
non-AAS/non-AUDIX agent logs in and out. If the count of logged-in CentreVu 
Advocate agents is equal to the value specified in the Logged-In CentreVu 
Advocate Agents field on the system-parameters customer-options form, a login 
attempt by a CentreVu Advocate agent will be blocked and reorder tone will be 
heard.
nAttendants
Attendant consoles administered as members of Expert Agent Selection (EAS) 
agents logged in on attendant consoles will have the same interactions as other 
phones with respect to the CentreVu Advocate features.
nAUDIX
An EAS AUDIX agent cannot be administered with a reserve skill.
nAuto Available Splits/Skills (AAS)
An EAS Auto Available agent cannot be administered with a reserve skill.